KINGSVILLE, Texas -- After a sluggish start, Midwestern State proved they could keep pace with streaking Texas A&M-Kingsville, but the Javelinas eventually won their sixth consecutive match.

TAMUK improved to 7-0 at home, while the Mustangs are still seeking their first road win of the season following a 10-25, 12-25, 25-23, 21-25 loss Friday night at the Steinke Center.

TAMUK (17-8, 8-3) raced out to a 10-point lead in the opening set, winning eight of the first 12 points with kills. The Javelinas went on a seven-point run with five kills and two aces to take a 22-6 lead. Ayanna Jackson got the final two kills for TAMUK, which coasted to a 15-point victory in the first set by hitting .667 with 19 kills and one error.

Midwestern State (6-20, 4-9) opened the match with eight kills and seven errors in the opening frame and hit .192 as a team.

The second set started in similar fashion as TAMUK raced out to a 13-3 lead with a 10-point run that featured five kills from Jackie Alanis. The Javelinas won three of the final four points with Nicole Murff closing out the frame with an ace.

MSU only had three kills and committed nine attack errors on 34 swings in the second set.

The Mustangs stayed close to the Javelinas in the early stages of the third set, led by Aaliyah Burras and Alex Serna. Burras had three early kills in the set, and Serna had back-to-back kills to bring the Mustangs within a point of the Javelinas at 10-9.

After falling behind by five points in the third set, 15-10, Midwestern State won 7 of 9 points. Burras and Kelli Ell set a block that cut the TAMUK lead to 17-16.

Sadie Portmann and Lauryn Bourne took control for the Mustangs, who refused to let TAMUK pull ahead by more than two points and knotted the set, 21-21. Burras had two kills and was in on a block as MSU won five of the final seven points. Portmann closed the third set with her sixth kill of the match.

Bourne had three of her six kills and all three of her blocks in the third set. The junior also had eight digs for the Mustangs. Portmann would finish with seven kills on 26 attacks for MSU.

Midwestern State halted the Javelinas 20-set home winning streak by hitting .208 and holding TAMUK to a .146 attacking percentage in the third set.

The Mustangs took a 6-5 lead in the fourth set as Burras recorded her 11th kill of the match. The Javelinas won 10 of the next 14 points to take a 15-10 lead in the frame.

Kailey Estrada had two kills and an ace in a four-point stretch as the Javelinas maintained a five-point lead, 19-14.

Burras, Ell and Serna all put down kills for the Mustangs, who moved to within two points of the Javelinas.

Jackson had three kills as TAMUK won 4 of 5 points to take a 23-18 lead. MSU rallied with a three-point run, but Jackson put down back-to-back kills, assisted by Sydney Whitmire, to close out the match for the Javelinas.

Burras hit .522 with 15 kills and just three errors on 23 attacks for the Mustangs, who hit .114 in the match. Burras was in on four of the eight blocks for Midwestern State. Serna finished with three total blocks and hit .318 with nine kills and two errors on 22 swings. Autumn Roach finished the night with 21 assists and 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the campaign. Taygon Jones had 19 digs for MSU.

Alanis, who hit .341 in the match, accounted for 23 points for TAMUK, recording 19 kills, three blocks and two aces. Jackson hit .346 and finished with 13 kills and eight blocks for the Javelinas, who hit .281 and had 15 blocks as a team.

Midwestern State is 0-9 on the road this season and plays its final match away from home Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs visit Texas A&M International and first serve at the TAMIU Kinesiology and Convocation Building in Laredo is at 2 p.m. Read Full Article